Boeing's 747 Large Cargo Freighter Development on Plan

Boeing.com ^ | Feb. 22, 2005 | Staff

[Paleo Conservative]

Ping!

[Darkwolf377]

It looks like a flying Thermos.

[Tribune7]

So these planes are being developed just to assemble the 787 not to compete with Airbus?

[Larry Lucido]

Wow, it's like loading a battery stick into my Streamlight.

[Paleo Conservative]

So these planes are being developed just to assemble the 787 not to compete with Airbus?

I'm sure if some other company needed a large freighter, Boeing would be willing to manufacture more of them. This is just a conversion of the standard 747-400 passenger aircraft of which more than 500 have been built.

[BladeLWS]

Yes, these are cargo aircraft no passenger aircraft. Possibly Boeing will make more for other airlines?

[orionblamblam]

Moscow? Are we talking Russkies, or does Idaho have a design facility?

[BurbankKarl]

I bet Fed Ex is wondering if they made a mistake buying that Airslop 380

[connectthedots]

I think Boeing ceased production of the 747 family aircraft a few years ago.

[Paleo Conservative]

No they're still building them just at a low rate. Most of the new ones are freighters. In fact Boeing is talking about taking the technology developed for the 787 and applying it to a new generation of slightly stretched, more efficient 747s that would seat about 450 people. It would be about midway between a 777-300ER and an A-380 in capacity. They're also talking about massively stretching the freighter version.

[Paleo Conservative]

I bet Fed Ex is wondering if they made a mistake buying that Airslop 380

This plane is not really suited for Fed Ex. The cargo hold is not pressurized. Notice the diagram mentions a new pressure bulkhead. It is located just behind the passenger door. The front of the plane is the only section that is pressurized.

[ZOOKER]

Boeing has needed this for years.

It has gotten by with some bizarre transportation methods for oversized major assemblies --- they use barges, modified rail cars, and tractor trailers that steer at both ends. They all work but are unwieldy and already at their limits for size of the pieces they could transport.

Airbus saw the need for air transport when they started their company, and bought up all the available Super Guppy transport planes for themselves.

They use them to fly in whole fuselage sections to their assembly plant in France. Obviously Boeing intends to copy their methods, but they have to build their own transport to do it.

[GarySpFc]

Moscow? Are we talking Russkies, or does Idaho have a design facility?

That's Moscow as in Russia.
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/business/companies/5295214.htm

Boeing links Moscow, Wichita engineers

BY MOLLY MCMILLIN

The Wichita Eagle

MOSCOW - Above a busy McDonald's restaurant in a modern office building near the Kremlin, Russian engineers work with their Wichita counterparts nine time zones away

[Paleo Conservative]

Airbus saw the need for air transport when they started their company, and bought up all the available Super Guppy transport planes for themselves.

Not only that, they bought the plans and converted three more, because the company that built them had alread gone out of business.

[Paleo Conservative]

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/business/companies/5295214.htm

[GarySpFc]

Wow! This new 747 is being designed in Moscow, Russia.
,br> The Boeing Co. is turning to Russian engineers to help design a modified 747 to carry parts of the new 7E7 Dreamliner to final assembly.

http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2004/11/15/daily29.html

[Paleo Conservative]

http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2004/11/15/daily29.html